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How Do I Sit In Meditation And Watch My Breath

Craig Daniels ·Leave a Comment

Introduction – Watch My Breath

Often those new to mindfulness practice find themselves a bit confused upon receiving the instruction to watch your breath. Frequently I’ve heard people exclaim, “Watch My Breath?” And then rather sheepishly add a follow up, “How?” How indeed.

Is watching your breath an act of concentration, attention, focus or is it something else altogether? The simple answer is that it’s none of those and yet it’s all of those. An example might help. Walking in a field one summer I looked up into the sky to see the most beautiful clouds I’d ever seen and immediately I became part of the scene. There were no words in my mind yet I knew and felt the beauty clearly. I was aware of being in those moments without thought, judgement or any need to capture any of it. Watching your breath is the same thing, you’re aware of it and even focused on it, but it’s not exertion or willpower holding your attention. Does that make any sense? If not, try letting it marinate a while.

Watch My Breath, awareness within a moment, without thinking. As Suzuki Roshi would say “nothing special.”

Mindfulness practice may seem like it’s mostly about the command  “Watch My Breath” without falling asleep, but the practice also continues once you get out of your chair or once you standup from your sitting cushion.

The time after watching your breath becomes the time to watch each moment without exertion. You’ll notice space unfolding within each moment, maybe for the first time. The present moment is not only all around you, but it’s where each of us exists in time. Whether we are washing dishes, reading a book, listening to a friend share a story or merely sitting on the back steps watching the grass grow, The present moment unfolds into the next present moment.

“Watch My Breath” (WMB) is the key that unlocks our awareness of the present moment. WMB opens a glorious panorama of each moment as it merges into the next moment into the next moment into the next moment. WMB allows us to see, feel and know the richness of each moment (without thought) and to be inoculated from the constant distractions arising from the noisy world around us.

WMB gives us place, within the present moment. To be.

I created a short story (below) about how Alice searches for the how to best watch her breath. We all search differently, right?

For reasons only known to Alice, she sets out on a journey to find the perfect chair for meditating, a comfortable chair while at the same time a chair to give her lots of support for extended sittings. Alice wants a chair that will keep her from slouching and falling asleep, and so she embarks on her quest at a local bus stop in hope of finding the perfect chair that is “just right”.

Enjoy the story. In a rush?  Scroll down the page where you’ll find an infographic with 7 Tips for Sitting in Meditation.

The Journey

A dilapidated city bus rolls into its destination emitting a squeak as it’s tires scrape against the granite curb and stops. The driver turns the ignition off, and the exhaust puffs with relief. Behind the dusty split windows a few passengers turn to stare blankly out toward an equally dilapidated bus stop and if they care to look further they’d also notice a curiously situated storefront, it’s crooked sign lazily dangling in the soft breeze spelling out, Local Haberdashery.

No one on the bus wears a hat, not even the ancient bus driver. Very Curious.

Alice, our heroine patiently waits on the edge of the same granite curb. She teeters slightly backwards as the bus pulls up but doesn’t flinch from its closeness, nor from its rather pedestrian squeak.

The buses rusted framed doors swing inwards with a whoosh as they open, and Alice steps into the buses dark opening, where she climbs the four steps of the bus. On the landing Alice stops and turns to watch the doors squeak shut, she smiles at the empty bus stop which waits silently for the next scheduled bus to arrive.

The bus driver turns the ignition on and slowly spins the enormous steering wheel to the left while deftly pressing the accelerator, the bus lumbers forward into the traffic stream.  

Alice, who’s still standing on the landing next to the driver quickly surveys the scene noting to herself all the empty seats available. And once sure of her bearings she asks the driver, “Would you know where I might purchase a chair, a chair that is just right, so I can sit down and Watch My Breath?” The driver smiles while gazing into the big mirror above Alice’s head that reflects all the passengers on the bus, sitting quietly. “I know three places” he says, “one of which I’m sure will be just right,” he pauses and then poses his own question. “But, are you sure you’re getting onto the right story?” He asks hesitantly.  Alice smiles and says, “Oh yes fine sir, I assure you I know just where I am.”

“You can get help from teachers,
but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself,
sitting alone, in a room.”
Dr. Seuss

The bus rumbles and grumbles as it inches forward toward its many destinations, passing by bookstores, tea-shops and a whole sundry of interesting establishments. Alice moves deeper into the grungy bus, each hand giving her balance as they by slide upon the chrome bar hanging from the ceiling. Going deeper into the bus reminds her of something she may have read in a book, or maybe it was a dream, but she can’t for the life of her remember for sure. She sits on an empty seat moving a little left and than right till it’s just right. Once settled Alice watches the establishments and people outside the bus drift by without as much as a thought bouncing in or out of her head.

After a myriad of stops along it’s route the bus pulls over next to a big box store with huge red letters proclaiming Everything Office. The bus driver turns noisily on his vinyl seat and shouts at Alice, “hey, looking for a chair? This is your stop.” Startled a bit by his gruffness Alice waves and exits from the buses side door. Once on firm ground she quickly turns back toward the bus waving again while softly mouthing “thank you.”

Before entering the store Alice peers through it’s tinted windows, “I wonder if this is the place?” she muse’s, before going inside, “I hope they have a chair that is just right for me.,” she says softly, to no one in particular. The door closes behind her.

Before she can take three steps into the store a rather short and cute young Bear greets Alice. “Welcome,” says the bear. “Oh!” Alice exclaims as she takes one step backwards.”You’re a Bear!”  “Indeed I am” the bear replies.

Looking directly into the eyes of the young bear Alice says,  “I mean no offense but I didn’t expect to find a bear when I walked in.” “No offense taken,” the bear says, and he continues, “I didn’t expect for you to walk into this story either.” Alice ponders the bear for a moment and reply’s with a wink, “I assure you I am just where I’m supposed to be.” .

The sales-bear proceeds to show Alice the only chair he carries in stock. “I consider this overstuffed chair to be nearly a perfect chair.” the bear says. And he continues his pitch, “It will quickly take you to dreamland, leaving you refreshed and energized ready to accomplish great things” When the bear finishes Alice puts her fingers to her mouth and utters a stifled “oh!”

overstuffed chair

“The chair is wonderful” says Alice, “but falling asleep will just not do, I believe I need to look elsewhere. “I understand,” says the bear, “I wish you all the best,” and with that the bear ushers Alice through the door and back out into the busy world.

Once outside Alice stops, and for a moment thinks to herself “that was a rather rude exit” but being Alice she turns back toward the store with a big smile and waves.

“I love going to coffee shops
and just sitting and listening.”
Julia Roberts

Alice walks toward the bus stop and as she gets close she notices the bus is waiting with it’s door open, and it’s engine running. She peers inside the door and the driver says “ready for the next stop?”

Once again in the bus Alice looks around to get her bearings, and she notices 3 rather boisterous pigs sitting all the way in the back of the bus. The 3 pigs notice Alice and they wave and each one blows rather loud party horns.

Alice turns to the bus driver and asks “who are they?” “they’re regulars” the driver says, and then adds “they heard you were in this story and wanted to see for themselves.”

Putting her hands on her hips Alice thinks to herself “Bears, pigs and overstuffed chairs such a curious reality I live in.”

Before Alice can get comfortable the bus abruptly comes to a stop and the doors open. “This is your next stop, I believe” says the driver.

Alice quickly stands, waves goodbye to the pigs and climbs down the buses stairs to the sidewalk. And being Alice, she turns and waves to the driver, mouthing “thank you.”

Alice stares up at yet another big box store and reads to herself the sign. Green Tea Emporium and 2nd Hand Furniture. “My,” she thinks “ what a curious name for a business.”

the dialogue six
sitting meditation infographic

[sc name=”7 sitting tips”]

Watch My Breath (Continued)

Alice walked across a nearly empty parking lot carefully not stepping on one of the many cracks in the weathered surfaced black top. “Curious” she thought to herself upon realizing she was acting on a long ago learned superstition. “Don’t step on a crack or you’ll break your mothers back” she said aloud. ” I wonder where all these thoughts come from,” she pondered and then deliberately stepped on every crack remaining in her path.

Alice stood at the stores entrance framed in bright flowers with a huge welcome sign hanging askew on the door. She reached up, pulled the door’s handle and let herself into a cavernous space. The first thing she noticed was the overwhelming smell of flowers, it was as if she’s stumbled into a florist shop and not a second hand furniture and tea shop.

“My how sweet and welcome I feel, ” Alice said. “That’s the goal” said the Bear standing next to Alice. Anxiously, Alice stepped back 2 or 3 steps, “why I hadn’t noticed you, standing there” said Alice between deep breaths. “If I may, Are you related to the Bear in the Everything Office?” asked Alice in a timid voice. “I am indeed” answered the Bear while extending a tray full of fresh baked cookies she’d had been holding, adding, “He’s my son.”

Seeing the cookies Alice realized how very hungry she felt, and seemingly reading her thoughts the Bear said, “please take as many as you’d like, you must be very hungry from traipsing around in a new story?” Alice gratefully took 3 cookies from the tray. “Thank you,” she said.

“Sometimes you need to sit lonely
on the floor in a quiet room
in order to hear your own voice and
not let it drown in the noise of others.”
Charlotte Eriksson

Once she’d eaten her fill of the delicious cookies Alice asked the Bear, “please can you help me find the right chair so I might sit and watch my breath?” “I have what may be the most perfect chair already picked out for you,” replied the Bear.

The Bear walked over to a golf cart and said, “please Alice won’t you join me for a quick ride to the chair department?” “Wow,” thought Alice, “a chair dept, surely I’ll find just what I’m looking for there.”  “I’m sure you will,” said the bear as she shifted the cart into gear, and they sped away down the long long aisle into the hugely cavernous space.

Where Am I?

The ride to the chair dept seemed very long to Alice and little by little she allowed her eyes to close. She nodded off, for how long she did not know. But finally the cart stopped with a jerk and Alice woke up. “Where am I,” she thought to herself. “You’re in the chair dept of course,” said the Bear. Alice blinked repeatedly as she looked around the empty space surrounding her, why she couldn’t see any walls or ceiling but she knew she was in a room.

“There’s the chair,” said the Bear. Alice looked and looked and finally she made out what looked like a huge egg maybe 50 yards from where she sat. “It’s an egg,” exclaimed Alice. “Yes indeed, ” said the Bear. “I call it The Cosmic Egg Chair, “” It will help you crack open your awareness while meditating.” Said the Bear. “Crack open my awareness, oh my!, may I sit in it?” proffered Alice, her arms open wide. “Go right ahead,” said the Bear.

cosmic egg chair

Alice walk by herself toward the cosmic egg chair deliberately. Once she reached the chair she walked around it a few times running her fingers over its smooth fiberglass surface, and climbed inside. “It’s much more comfortable than I had envisioned,” she thought to herself. “I’ll close my eyes and try it out, though I do hope nothing cracks open.”

For nearly 20 minutes Alice sat in the cosmic egg watching her breath, but she was not able to sit still. Alice watched as she breathed in and watched as she breathed out, she even watched the little pause at the end of her out breath, but she could not stop fidgeting. Finally Alice opened her eyes and clumsily climbed out of the egg chair all the while carrying a big frown on her face.

The Bear watched Alice follow the path of watch my breath for the whole time and yet not even her good wishes had any effect on Alice. The Bear knew the cosmic egg chair was not the right chair for Alice and her heart sank.

I’m sorry,” said Alice, “But this chair just won’t do, it’s not the right chair for me to sit on and watch my breath, oh what shall I do?” The Bear gave poor Alice a big bear-hug and gently led her to the stores exit. “Try the next store and you may find the chair that is just right,” said the Bear.

Without saying anything Alice walked slowly through the exit door and toward the bus stop, but being Alice she turned back, smiled as she waved and mouthed “Thank You” to the Bear in the Tea and Furniture Store.

The Search Continues

Though a bit slumped over and tired Alice proceed to walk toward the bus stop once more. A few yards from the bus stop Alice stopped, and asked herself, “what am I doing running around to find the perfect chair?” There was no answer either in her head nor from the the small crowd of onlookers who were watching this story with keen interest. Alice sighed and set off on foot to the next store.

Alice noticed as she walked that if she picked up her pace she could lose even the story onlookers and be alone for the first time on this journey. She really did appreciate all the advice and encouragement she’d received so far from the onlookers as well as the bus driver and the bears but she needed space to find her chair by herself.

“If I want to Watch My Breath and sit in meditation I need to stop all this wrestling and grasping with thoughts about what is and what isn’t the right chair, why maybe I don’t even a chair at all” she thought hurriedly. This last bit of thinking caused Alice to stop walking altogether, she took a deep breath. “Maybe any old chair will do,” she said aloud, and this thought spurred her quickly on toward the next store. The onlookers, who now had caught up with Alice noticed she walked with a sprightly spring in her step and everyone mimicked her newly found spring and moved forward.

What Was It You Wanted ?

Alice walked a short while to reach the 3rd store the bus driver had told her about. What she saw as she turned the corner was a huge expanse of cracked concrete with yellowed grasses inhabiting the cracks of a deserted mall parking lot. In the center of the wasteland sat a small vendors cart with a red and yellow striped awning protecting it from the sun. And sitting in a lawn chair next to the brightly colored cart was a huge brown Bear.

Staying in character, Alice found all this very curious and more than a bit surreal. For a moment she teetered upon the granite curbing surrounding the wasteland, her hesitation achingly passed and she continued her journey forward. The loyal onlookers decided to venture no further and setup a small waiting area they named Highway 61  where they could sit and watch the final act.

A few steps before reaching the cart Alice noticed a weathered sign dangling crookedly from the vendors cart, it read Chop Wood, Carry Water, she smiled and spoke out-loud for the first time since leaving the last store, ” it’s missing the After Enlightenment part.” “Are you quite sure of that?” said the Bear in a very deep and booming voice. “Maybe it’s missing “Before Enlightenment.” he continued and quickly before Alice could speak again he added, ” are you enlightened, Alice?”

The questions was so unexpected, Alice could feel her face turn red  and Alice couldn’t identify the other feelings. Alice replied boldly “I most certainly am not,” and at that statement everything came back into focus. At that moment she noticed a rather large rusted animatronic likeness of Willy Nelson standing quietly next to the Bear’s chair. The Bear nodded in her direction while raising his arm toward the animtronic man and dropped a coin into a slot in its chest and with rusty squeeks it began to sing a gravely version of Dylan’s 1989 tune, What Was It You Wanted

Written by: Bob Dylan

 1. What was it you wanted
Tell me again so I’ll know
What’s happening in there
What’s going on in your show
What was it you wanted
Could you say it again
I’ll be back in a minute
You can get it together by then
 
2. What was it you wanted
You can tell me I’m back
We can start it all over
Get it back on the track
You got my attention
Go ahead speak
What was it you wanted
When you were kissing my cheek
 
3. Was there somebody looking
When you gave me that kiss
Someone there in the shadows
Someone that I might have missed
Is there something you needed
Something I don’t understand
What was it you wanted
Do I have it in my hand
 
4. Whatever you wanted
Slipped out of my mind
Would you remind me again
If you’d be so kind
Has the record been breaking
Did the needle just skip
Is there somebody waiting
was there a slip of lip
 
5. What was it you wanted
I ain’t keepin’ score
Are you the same person
That was here before
Is it something important
Maybe not
What was it you wanted
Tell me again I forgot
 
6. Whatever you wanted
What could it be
Did somebody tell you
That you could get it from me
Is it something that comes natural
Is it easy to say
Why do you want it
Who are you anyway
 
7. Is the scenery changing
Am I getting it wrong
Is the whole thing going backwards
Are they playing our song
Where were you when it started
Do you want it for free
What was it you wanted
Are you talking to me
Copyright © 1989 by Special Rider Music
 
Alice stood transfixed as the metal Willy Nelson sang the haunting tune, she had no thoughts and nothing to say. When the performance was over the Bear once again lifted his arm and pointed to a chair atop the vendor cart which much like the animatronic man she had not noticed till it was pointed out to her. Alice walked over to the cart and touched the rather plain brown wooden chair and placed it on the ground next to the Bear. “Take the chair” the Bear said gruffly. “Oh thank you very much,” said Alice and she picked up the chair and walked away.  She did however turn back at the edge of the grass for a moment, and waved to the Bear and being Alice she mouthed “Thank You.”
 
“A simple brown wooden chair I can sit in and watch my breath.” thought Alice. It was what she had been looking for all a long. It was “just right,” she said out loud as she walked back to the bus stop with her chair. Once on the bus the drive asked ” how what your journey?” Alice replied with a smile, “very curious, very curious indeed.” And with that she walked to her seat and looked out the window for the first time.

 

 

simple chair
 
 

***NOTE*** Prior to the advent of Social Media and Smart Phones it was not uncommon for stories to be populated with guests from other stories that just dropped in to see what was going on in a new story. In this story the 3 Pigs were very curious to see what Alice was up to so they came and went a few times to keep track of her adventures. And onlookers or fans also would frequently show up in stories to watch things play out. Occasionally the onlookers would give advice or ask questions of the stories main characters, but for the most part they kept a respectful distance and stayed very quiet, much like the crowds of yesteryear did at golf tournaments. All very different from today’s loud and intrusive social media fans.  But, we all know that everything changes. Right?

7 Meditation Sitting Tips from Craig Daniels
This Slideshow is a short view of the 7 sitting tips from the above infographic.

Best Exercise For Mindfulness

Craig Daniels ·Leave a Comment

exercise for mindfulness

In his book ” Each Moment Is The Universe” Dainin Katagiri mentions that within each snap of the fingers reside 64 moments. And it doesn’t matter that even Katagiri doesn’t know where that number came from.

Connecting cycling with a moment in time is easy to do, each wheel on a road bike often has 32 spokes. As you pedal your way down the road you’re sitting between two wheels each with 32 spokes, you’re sitting at the center of the 64 moments, 64 opportunities each presenting itself within the snap snap of the fingers.

Like a bicycle wheel or the carnival wheel of chance calling to us, this moment we now recognize is spinning with possibility. This moment we find ourselves in right now, contains the past, the future and the present. Each moment is an opportunity of choice. What will you choose? Will you go back into the past, rocket into the future or plant your feet firmly in the present?

What choice will your wheel stop on this time? Which spoke in the wheel will resonate with you so you’ll inhabit it?

“The way we are living,

timorous or bold,

will have been our life.”

Seamus Heaney

Pedaling round and round while sitting atop a bicycle is not the same today as it was yesterday. And like watching your breath in mindfulness practice the experience is bound to be different. Bicycling may be the best exercise for mindfulness combining fresh air, cardio workout and sunshine with a smooth cadence surely brings a rider into sustained period of mindfulness practice.

Yesterday you may have rode your bike along a flat road next to a winding meandering river, today you might find yourself far away from flat roads while you climb steep hills or maybe you’ve found the perfect combination route with hills, curves, dips and flats randomly interspersed throughout a boundless landscape.

The central point is, a session of exercise in mindfulness atop your bicycle presents unlimited experiences similar to sitting in a traditional mindfulness practice.

I first learned about meditation and mindfulness in college and while it sounded interesting I didn’t formally engage in a practice for another 20 years. But in hindsight I now realize I very much became a practitioner of being in the present moment when I took up daily bicycle riding, this was years before I ever sat and watched my breath.

From my first 10 mile bike ride I fell in love with the freedom and exhilaration one experiences while riding long distances up and down the hills of Vermont and New Hampshire. For nearly 15 years I turned the pedals on my bike round and round from March through mid November. At times my riding included others, but often I’d ride alone. My daily ride distance stretched from 20 to 50 miles in what I now recognize as my journey of Bicycling into Mindfulness.

While pedaling, my thoughts would become nonexistent, they’d fall away or disappear as each foot locked to the pedals went round and round. The pedaling itself became my focus and in time the cadence anchored my chattering mind and delivered a panorama of visual clarity and effortless purpose, I’d discovered the best exercise for mindfulness to be Bicycling.

Many occupations such as surgeons, pilots, writers, athletes and welders often find themselves completely in the moment while the rest of the world vanishes. This falling away of thought transforms into mindfulness and present moment awareness, a state most of us can tap into using a simple meditation practice. For beginners I recommend the MUSE headband as a wonderful tool to quiet your thinking and develop everyday mindful awareness.

Our minds ride upon a torrent of thoughts from the moment we wake each morning till we finally fall asleep each evening. On average each of us produces 60,000 distinct thoughts each and every day, thankfully most of those thoughts are below the surface awareness, otherwise we’d become immobile.

I stopped riding regularly when I moved to an urban area and grew tired of fighting the traffic and potholes I’d come across as I searched for a clear stretch of road, and I’m not mentioning the all too common flat tires that frequently occurred.

Bicycling Becomes The Exercise For Mindfulness

While still actively cycling one of my favorite rides took place in a small Vermont town known at Quechee. Originally a farming community that turned into a resort and 2nd home community for those who the locals called Flatlanders, meaning they moved to Vermont from Connecticut or Massachusetts.

In Quechee I’d park my car at a friends house on Main Street and begin my ride. Main Street is a narrow two lane road bereft of shoulders, meaning if I got too close to the edge of the road I’d tumble down an embankment. The tumbling was always in the back of my mind as I pedaled forward along Main Street, and yes I did tumble down the embankments a few times. The aforementioned tumbling caused me to ride in the middle of the lane while on Main St, thus forcing cars coming up behind me to go around me and saving me from more tumbles off the edge of the road. Paying attention to each moment was vital for the first few miles of my ride.

Main Street merged with Route 4 in the small town of Taftsville Vt., but first I had to cross the one lane covered wooden bridge. Crossing meant riding in the center of the bridge on a raised series of boards no more than 18 inches wide. I’d zoom over the bridge as fast as possible, hoping a car coming the opposite direction didn’t appear and force me to stop to let the car pass before I could finish the river crossing. Cars rarely waited for me to finish my crossing before proceeding on their own crossing.

Once on Route 4, I was able to focus on my pedaling to maximize both my speed and efficiency. To get the most out of riding it’s important to master the cadence of pedaling much like mastering the cadence of breathing when sitting in a regular or device aided meditation session.

Our tendency is to point our toes toward the ground on each down-stroke, but it turns out that keeping our foot and the pedal flat on the down-stroke if more efficient. And it allows more speed with less effort over time.

  1. Keep both feet parallel to the ground through the entire pedaling cycle.
  2. As your foot reaches the point where it starts it’s upward motion, lift that foot using your leg and the momentum of the pedal.
  3. Continue lifting on each rotation while keeping both feet parallel to the ground. Down-Push and Up-Pull in a fluid oval motion.

Much like watching your breath in sitting meditation this way of pedaling will feel awkward at first and you may find yourself becoming mechanical as your apply the practice. Just as in breathing during meditation it’s important to let the body find its own rhythm and not get attached to perfection. Let your breathing and your pedaling take on their own cadence.. Left alone your body will breath in and out on it’s own, and your feet will go round and round on their own as well.

If you find yourself rocking from side to side your seat needs to be lowered some. If you find yourself squirming in your chair as you do meditation remind yourself that it’s just internal resistance to sitting quietly expressing itself.

Resistance to a quiet mind or a smoothly flowing pedaling motion is natural. Our mind is busy and will always look for an outlet until we train it to slow itself and connect it to awareness of breath and awareness of pedaling.

THOUGHT: The observing mind is like a rock
in the middle of a stream….. Visualize it

In the center of Woodstock Vt. I’d turn right onto Route 12 and head north out of town. It was on Route 12 that I found my cadence, a cadence resembling settling into the natural rhythm of breathing during my daily 40 minute MUSE mindfulness sessions. it was on Route 12 that I first experienced Bicycling into Mindfulness and became convinced that cycling was the best exercise for mindfulness.

My bike route took me past the former Mt. Tom ski area and the cut off to Suicide 6, both were ski areas where I spent countless hours in my early teens skiing for hours and hours. Mt. Tom is now closed for skiing but is crisscrossed with hiking trails.

Each time I’d pass the ski areas memories would fill my mind and occasionally throw off my pedaling cadence. The push and lift, push and lift would decay as my mind wandered to skiing down the mountains on some bright sunny day full of joy, full of youth. But just as I bring my awareness back to the in and out of my breathing while in sitting in meditation I’d bring my pedaling back to the familiar push and lift, push and lift cadence.

After passing the ski areas the road took on a steady rise broken up by a few downhill dips and then upward again it went. The steady assent was one of the joys of riding and I’d easily slip into a no thinking mode of awareness as I pedaled (push and lift) upwards for miles and miles.

Once I reached my turn around point I’d spin around and speed as fast as possible back down toward town. The downhill part of the ride was glorious and while I didn’t need to pedal for much of it I nevertheless continued my cadence all the while watching the world pass by in a blur of focused awareness while maintaining a high speed push and lift cadence continuing my bicycling into mindfulness.

Push and Lift, Push and Lift, In and Out, In and Out. The pedaling and breathing anchoring my mind in serenity where the stream of thoughts, judgments and assumptions ceased to exist, for a while at least.

Push and Lift – – – – – – In and Out,

Moment flowing into Moment,

it’s all the same thing.

Mindfulness Practice Tips from Craig Daniels
 
accelerating mindfulness

Overcoming Obstacles Distracting You From Mindfulness

Craig Daniels ·Leave a Comment

mindfulness practice distractions

Move Your Mindfulness Practice Beyond These Distractions

Seemingly out of nowhere obstacles appear, distractions materialize, reasons develop, barriers are constructed, walls erected and excuses concocted, but these hindrances to your mindfulness practice didn’t appear out of nowhere.

Each of the monkey-wrenches listed above block our good intentions to spend time in mindfulness practice. And can dim our hopes of getting a clearer view of current reality. But the distractions are not external, they are created and buttressed by our own thinking.

The simple truth is, changing how we go about our daily life is hard and this truth doesn’t change even if our boss tells us we must change for the good of the team or that innovation will not occur if we don’t let go of all our assumptions we hold about others.

The CEO can scour the landscape for the brightest and newest coaching sensation in hopes of easing the pain of change, but when we wake in the middle of the night the same truth that stared at us in the clear light of the day is still staring at us. Change is hard, period.

It’s ironic that seeing current reality with a clear objectivity is the main benefit realized from a mindfulness practice. As we embrace the path to change we find ourselves standing on a river bank needing to get to the other side, but we don’t have a boat. What can we do?

Growing up in Vermont I often heard the story of a traveler who stopped at a country store to ask for directions to to the university, the storekeeper looked at the traveler for a bit and finally said “you can’t get there from here.” 

As a child I was indirectly taught that people outside of my state lacked common sense, so I missed out on the gem resting in plain sight at the heart of the story.

You can’t get there from here, indeed.

If I got you to read this far you probably are wondering if I have any suggestions to help you on your path of change? I do, and they are simple suggestions.

  1. Scan the infographic below, do any of the barriers seem familiar? Spend a little time identifying your one or two biggest barriers to cultivating a regular practice of mindfulness. Once you are clear with what’s stopping you move on to number 2.
what's stopping your mindfulness practice

 

2. Each barrier in the above infographic is constructed by our thoughts and does not reside in external reality. Sounds a bit contrived doesn’t it? But I assure you it’s not, everything we interact with was created by thoughts and is maintained by our thoughts and the thoughts of all those around us.

Discovering and acknowledging the primary barriers keeping you from crossing the river (Change) may be the most important step you can take.

Learning mindfulness is easy,
regularly practicing mindfulness is not.

But, I promise you it’s far simpler than it may sound or appear. And there’s no judgement required, put one foot in front of the other and keep taking one step after the other, you’ll look up from your walking to find you’re on the other side of the river and you didn’t need a boat.

Below I’ve listed the 8 barriers from the infographic above and to them I’ve added a few suggestions for getting around them. the main thing to remember when moving forward on the path of change is to keep reminding yourself what the barrier is, (Thought).

One step, one breath and one thing at a time… Here’s a thought that may help. There are somewhere around 64 moments within the time it takes to snap your fingers. You have 64 opportunities within each snap of your fingers to take a new step, to start again and to move a bit closer to learning mindfulness or any other change you’re embracing.

I don’t know about you, but I get really excited when I think about infinite opportunities unfolding all around me. if I stumble and slam into a barrier all I need to do is take a step forward. And while success is not guaranteed, infinite opportunities to take the next step are. (Snap Snap Snap)

1. Can’t Do It

This may be the most common barrier. In monasteries practice often starts as soon as they wake. Get up 10 minutes early each day and practice for 5 minutes. In a month get up 15 minutes early and practice for 10 minutes – snap

Practice for 5 minutes in a car, in a bus or on the train. Keep your eyes open and no one will know what you’re doing. snap

2. Inspiration

Your thoughts will intrude while you practice (it’s what they do). Don’t jump up to write down all the brilliant inspiration that pops into your thinking, treat it like all thoughts by acknowledging thought and resume practice.

3.Sleepiness

It’s a common happening to fall asleep while practicing. The easiest remedy is to practice with your eyelids open slightly. You may experience more distractions but you’ll stay awake. ?

Practice while sitting either in some version of the lotus posture or sitting in a chair with a straight back. Posture helps keep you awake.

4.Physical Pain

Discomfort can be a great teacher within your practice, but pain is not something to endure. The practice is not about being a hero. Try different postures, cushions and chairs to find something that won’t wreck your joints.

Often our mind will create discomfort as a way to get us to abandon the practice. You can watch the discomfort as part of your practice as long as it is tolerable.

5. Don’t Want Too

Few of us want to practice (at least in the beginning). Use your resistance as an object to focus your breath on. Breathe in resistance and as you breathe out let it go. Don’t judge it as either good or bad, give it room to take up all the room it wants within your breath. And, snap

6. Anxiety

Emotions will come and go as you practice and as with physical pain there is no need to be a hero when uncomfortable emotions wash over you (and they will). Mindfulness practice opens doors to feelings and thoughts, but they are not you. Your thoughts and emotions only define you if you agree with them.

While you practice give your emotions and thoughts room to express themselves, they will go on their way when the next thought or emotion comes into view.

Use your thoughts and emotions within your practice but don’t torture yourself thinking you’ll conquer your emotions, judgement and control is not what mindfulness is about.

7. Obsessing

At some point we all obsess within practice, after all we are sitting quietly with our thoughts running free. ? Try acknowledging your thoughts and shift your attention back to your breath.

Try talking out loud explaining to your self that your are obsessing and it’s just thoughts running wild. Come back to your breath.

Be compassionate with yourself and with the person or object your obsessing about.

8. Distractions

When I say distractions I’m pointing toward external distractions such as loud neighbors, screaming kids, television, cell notifications and not the noise inside our own heads.

But if fireworks went off while you practiced mindfulness and you weren’t distracted, would that be considered a distraction? Maybe something is only a distraction if we grab hold of it with our mind. Ask yourself, is the distraction coming from outside the window or inside my head?

If the noise from life is distracting you while you are learning mindfulness try not labeling it as anything at all. When a car goes by your open window watch the sound in your mind come and watch it leave without attaching to it. snap

A Technique

As you go about your day and you experience any type of resistance within yourself and you feel angry or frustrated at your  coworkers or boss for causing these feelings and thoughts of resistance, snap your fingers three times, snap snap snap to immediately connect with your mindfulness practice.

When you’ve snapped your fingers take a deep breath and exhale while reminding yourself that 192 moments to move forward in life came and went as you snapped your fingers. Wow!

Reminding yourself like this is not about good or bad or right or wrong, it’s not about judging of yourself, it’s simply a small awakening to the marvelous stream of moments we exist in.

Each moment unfolds full of opportunity briefly coming into existence then disappearing into the next moment.

 

8 barriers to realizing mindfulness from Craig Daniels

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